LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sep. 25, 2026) — Every year, birds migrate north and gather in a single location in the Arctic, and a team of University of Kentucky researchers is collaborating with Alaska Native communities to study how diseases spread and evolve in this gathering before they reach human populations.
Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering, recently returned from a research trip to the northernmost community in the United States: Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Accompanied by Ph.D. student August Bodin and lab manager Anni Noble, Berry joined partners from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to enable environmental sequencing of wildlife samples collected by the local community.
Berry serves as the director of the Environmental Surveillance Center for Assessing Pathogen Emergence. The center’s primary goal is to surveil the environment for biological threats that possess pandemic potential for humans.
As an engineer with a background in device development, Berry’s specific focus is enabling genomic analysis in regions that don’t have easy access to medical laboratories. By bringing technology directly to these areas, and training the people who live and hunt there, his team is working to eliminate global health blind spots.
“Our goal is to really enable genomic analysis in all corners of the world. Pandemics don’t respect borders, national borders or boundaries. To get a good sense of what’s circulating out there, we need to go test places that are off the beaten path,” Berry said.
To accomplish this in northern Alaska, Berry’s team introduced newly developed microfluidic chips designed to simplify and streamline genomic sequencing directly in the field, building local capacity for rapid testing. They are also providing training and developing instruction manuals for the product when it’s ready to move past the prototype stage.
Utqiaġvik, the northernmost community in the U.S., is a unique ecological crossroads. It is a massive hotspot for migratory birds because multiple major flyways — migratory paths including the Mississippi, Pacific and Atlantic flyways — all converge in this arctic location. Diverse avian populations from across the globe gather in one region to breed and socialize, making it an ideal environment for viruses to jump between species.
“Think about how planes fly over the poles to get to Europe and Asia,” Berry explained. “The birds migrate through Alaska, and all these flyways come together. The birds exchange pathogens, and then they migrate back down to places like the United States.”
By monitoring the birds at this central meeting point, researchers can gain a predictive look at potential human future human health risks. Currently, the team is keeping a close watch on avian flu, specifically the H5N1 strain.
“If we can get a sense of what’s going on up there, it can be predictive for what’s going to happen down here in the future,” Berry said. “If we know what strains are coming, we can prepare better as far as vaccines and other precautions.”
Although the primary focus of this trip was avian migration, there is also an underlying awareness of the potential for climate impacts on the region. Local community members have expressed concerns about thawing permafrost potentially releasing long-dormant pathogens. Importantly, this trip allowed the research team to better understand the multifaceted risks faced by this community and the need to establish response readiness.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, is thousands of miles away from Lexington, but the research conducted there has a direct impact on the Commonwealth. Kentucky is located squarely within the Mississippi Flyway, meaning many of the migratory birds gathering and exchanging viruses will spend their autumn and winter months flying over and nesting in Kentucky fields, wetlands and waterways.
Because of this direct ecological connection, any viral mutations or emerging strains of avian flu identified in northern Alaska are likely to arrive in Kentucky just months later. For Kentucky’s agricultural sector — especially its massive poultry industry — this predictive capability is crucial. Early detection of highly pathogenic strains like H5N1 up north provides Kentucky farmers and agricultural officials with an early warning system.
This predictive data can influence public health policy and agricultural preparation within the state. It may help local officials recommend specific biosafety precautions, prepare targeted veterinary vaccines, and establish surveillance protocols to protect Kentucky poultry flocks and wild animal populations.
The success of the research mission relied heavily on community partnership and a holistic approach known as One Health. The research team held a three-day One Health retreat in Alaska, which included genomic training for students from the University of Alaska system and local Ilisagviq College, as well as other community scientists.
The training started from the ground up. “When I started the lesson, I said, ‘Who here has done genomics?’ I think one person in the whole class raised their hand, so we were starting pretty much from zero,” Berry said.
To make the training accessible, Michelle Johansson of the WCS created anatomically correct stuffed animals for the community to practice sampling techniques. A critical component of the project involves working with local hunters who know the land and animal patterns best.
The team provided hunters with sampling kits to use if they encounter dead birds in the field. These kits include personal protective equipment and two swabs — one oral and one cloacal — to collect samples that can then be taken back to town for immediate sequencing.
The visit also focused on building trust through social events. The team participated in a 5K run, “soup and science” event, film festival and beach yoga. Berry credited Johansson for organizing the logistics and facilitating these vital community connections.
Historically, samples collected in remote areas like Utqiaġvik had to be shipped to major molecular biology labs in cities like Boston, with results taking weeks to return. By empowering the local community with microfluidic technology to streamline sequencing, the team has moved the lab to the sample.
“We can get results in a day, which is unlike anything they could get in this remote community before,” Berry said.
This speed has a direct impact on local food safety. Because many community members rely on hunting for their primary food source, they immediately need to know if the animals they are eating are safe.
“You don’t want to wait two weeks for your results. You want to know what’s in the community today, not what’s in the community two weeks ago,” Berry said. “And more rapid detection leads to an earlier response.”
On a larger scale, this work provides a more comprehensive view of what pathogens are circulating in the environment and in animals, which Berry said “has been a bit of a blind spot historically.”
The trip successfully demonstrated that the community could sequence samples. The next phase involves further technology transfer to help the community become fully independent.
“That’s another side of it — empowering communities to collect and manage their own data,” Berry explained.
This effort remains rooted in the One Health philosophy, which recognizes that human health is inextricably linked to the health of animals and the environment.
“You can’t study humans in isolation to really understand human health,” Berry said. “You have to look at humans, you have to look at animals, you have to look at the environment, you have to take a holistic approach.”
Going forward, Berry emphasizes the need for global vigilance.
“We just need to be vigilant and cast the widest net possible for emerging pathogens,” he said.
The team’s work is one of many ways that UK remains at the forefront of protecting both local and global communities from the next potential health crisis.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award Nos. 2154934 and 2412446. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
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Berry with Michelle Johansson of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Lloyd Pikok Jr. and Telayna Wong of the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation. Photo provided.
Berry, Bodin, and Anni Noble demonstrate the sampling process. Photo provided.
Scott Berry and August Bodin with OneHealth collaborators under an arch of whale bones in Alaska. Photo provided.
